Benedictine house founded by Saint Edwin, c.701,in Worcestershire, England, and dedicated to Our Lady. Secular canons were installed, 941; the monks were restored by Saint Dunstan and Saint Ethelwold, 960. Exemption from episcopal jurisdiction was confirmed by Rome, 1260, and the abbey became one of the largest in England; it had two dependent cells in England and one in Denmark. Surrendered to Henry VIII, 1539, its demolition began, and only a few isolated fragments remain, including the great bell tower built by Abbot Clement Lichfield, c1533